My best memories at Baxter were seeing Ghost World like 7 times for some inexplicable reason, seeing Rocky dressed as the Pope, and seeing this silly local movie that had a scene that took place IN BAXTER THEATRE. So we were watching the movie and the shot went from the parking lot to the lobby to the hall outside where we were. It was like the end of Blazing Saddles.

I don’t really think Baxter had a role in shutting down Showcase on Bardstown. National Amusements wanted a more modern facility (more screens, stadium seating, etc.) and decided it was better to build a new one in a more suburban locale than renovate the old one.

But Showcase’s closing did effect Baxter, as they could legally show any first-runs they wanted now (previously territorial conflicts with Showcase prevented them as I understand it) and also had a larger audience. So Baxter does show fewer foreign and independent films now, to make more money off the Hollywood stuff.

What I think was the lobby is now a Qdoba restaurant’s dining room. Ticket window is still sort of there. I think this was the 2nd to last single-screen neighborhood theater in Louisville when it closed.

Walnut St. in Louisville is now Muhammad Ali Blvd. This was a part of the Walnut St. Corridor, in its heyday the center of black-owned businesses and entertainment, “heart of Louisville’s African-American culture”.